Taking a ‘rainy day off’ might be your favourite chilldhood memory but the students of Nimberga government school (in north-east Karnataka) don’t subscribe to that idea.”When it rains, water enters our classroom. We love to study so we attend classes regularly. We can’t afford to study in better schools,” one of the students told ANI.
The condition of the school is so bad that even the beams and iron structure of the ceiling are visible and are a threat to the lives of the students. But classes continue only because of the students’ interest in studies and support from the teachers.
Kalaburagi: Damaged condition of classrooms in Nimberga govt school haven’t stopped students from attending classes. Students say,”When it rains, water enters our classroom. We love to study so we attend classes regularly. We can’t afford to study in better schools.” #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/oDkF5GpvXR
— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2018
Usha Pawar, one of the teachers in the school, told the news agency that the students are keen to attend their classes despite the damaged condition.
“When it rains children can’t sit here as water seeps in. The students are not only interested in their studies, they are intelligent too,” she told ANI.
Earlier this year, a report of government school functioning without toilets went viral. The children were forced to use the toilet of a Primary Health Centre (PHC) next to the school as the toilets in the school were broken.
According to a study reported in 2016, while some government schools in Karnataka do not have well-maintained toilets, others do not have toilets at all.
For the year 2017-18, the Karnataka govt had reduced the state budget for education by 15%, even though the allocation for education remained the highest.
